Cigarette dispensing device and associated mechanism



Aug. 7, 1934. 1,969,112

CIGARETTE DISPENSINQ DEVICE Anp ASSOCIATED uecmmlsu L. V. ARONSON 2 syeets-sneet 1 Filed Maren 2o. 195o 'lNvn-:Non louis miv/asm H4 A'rr RNEYa Aug. 7, 1934;

1., v. ARoNsoN 1,969,112 CIGARETTE DISPENSIN DEVICE AND ASSOCIATED MECHANICS Filed uarcn 20I 195o 2 snaps-sheet 2 l o Ir 7 :I IZ A -'l I-l 10 :E fl ,4 0

y I l: Z3 I 9 *Y 15 3 gfl ZZ '1 2 17 g E l k E Z4 Z8 in Z1 Z5 n; Ik@ '1g Z0 il l lL vA ORNEYS s 1 Z2 E a Z3 Fw" l l Z5" n Z1 Z0 26 J9 13 INVENTOR I mais ir/0135673 Patented Aug. 7, 1934 I PTE mareo sauras CIGARETTE nrsrENsiNo. DEVICE AND. ASSOCIATED MsonANlsM Louis V. Aronson, Newark, N. J., assigner to Art Metal Works, Inc., a corporation of New Jersey application March 2o,` 1930, serial Nc. 431,327

1 claim. (01312-78) the following description taken'in conjunction with the attached drawings forming part of this application.

The invention accordingly comprises the novel devices and combinations thereof, specific' embodiments of which are described herein by way of example only and in accordance with the manner in which I now prefer to practice the in- 20 vention.

Referring now to the drawings, Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a device embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is a Asomewhat enlarged fragmentary plan view showing the top open and a number of cigarettes in place;

Fig. 3 is a sectional elevation taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2, the top having been closed with the cigarette lighter in place;

Fig. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view through the device, part of the device being broken away;

Fig. 5 is a plan view of part of the underside of the device; and

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary sectional view'showing the ejecting means ready to eject a cigarette.

Referring now in detail to the drawings, there is shown a substantial oval hollow base 1 preferably made of metal and of suicient height to accomodate part of the mechanism of an ejector to be described later. At one end ofthe base is a saucer-shaped depression 2 which serves as an ash tray. At the opposite end of the base is a hollow cylindrical casing 3 also preferably of metal provided with a hinged metal top 4 having an aperture 5 through which a cylindrical lighter 5 projects, the lighter being provided with'shoulders 7 resting on the edge of the aperture 5. The operating elements of the lighter may be such as described, for example, in my pending appli' cation Serial No. 358,483. filed April 27, 1929.

Inside the casing 3 is a feeding device 8l spaced from the interior of the casing for moving cigarettes in the casing. As here shown, it consists of the hollow rotatable cylindrical drum having a curved upper edge and arranged concentrically with respect to the casing 3.A This drum and casing is arranged to hold cigarettes 9 between itsv Aouter wall and the inner wall of the casing 3 in an annular feedway 9a. 'I'he drum is alsol preferably of metal. 'I'he drum is provided with five 60 equidistantly spaced radial fins, four of which, each designated by the numeral 10, are of slightly less width than the drum 8 (as shown more clearly in Fig. 4),. The fth iin which I have designated as 11 (see Fig. 3) is of considerably greater 65 height than the drum and extends approximately the height of the interior of casing 3. The fin 11 is about equal to the width of the annular space between the casing and drum. The width of each of the fins l0 is about equal to half of the space. 70 The reason for the differences in width and height of these fins 10 and l1 is that fin 11 serves to contact with a stop 12 (see Figs. 2 and 4), which stop isapproximately the height of ythe inside of the casing 3 and is attached to the inner wall thereof. 75 Its width at the top is slightly less than that of the annular space 9a, but at a point about onethird of its height it is narrowed so that the iins 10 may pass it when they rotate with thedrum 8 as hereinafter described. This arrangement allows the drum to make onecomplete rotation .rounding the axle and the lower end being suitably attached to the floor 13 of the drum. 'Ihe motion of the drum under the influence of this spring is as stated above, to make a complete revolution from the place where thestop 11 is just in front of the stop 12, viewing'the stop 12 as it is shown in Fig. 4, until stop 11 has made one complete rotation and comes to rest back of stop 12. The rotation viewed from above is a clockwise rotation. The spring 16 is arranged to produce such rotation and is also arranged to be under tension when the stop 11 comes to rest back of stop 12, so that during its entire movement the drum is under tension. This means that the line of cigarettes 9 in the annular space 9a are under pressure from the spring 16 which pressure urges them in a clockwise direction towards an ejector, which will be described later, and so that a cigarette is replaced by itsimno mediate successor upon lremoval of that cigarette from the casing 3. The fins 10 therebetween tend to keep the cigarettes in proper upright position and when the iirst -of the series of four 5 cigarettes between the lower pair of tins shown in Fig. 2 comes to rest against the stop 12, this series of four cigarettes is pressed between the nn on the right-hand of the series and stop 12 in Fig. 2. This vpressure aligns the cigarettes Jproperly in vertical position to be ready for successive ejection. Similarly when the next series of four cigarettes comes to the ejecting position, the first of the series contacts with stop 12 and these cigarettes are aligned between the stop and the n on the right of that series.

The cigarette resting against stop 12 in Fig. 2 is ready to be ejected. 'Ihe ejector comprises a lever' 18 pivoted at its center and supported by a bracket 19 depending from the lower side of the.

20 upper wall ofthe casing 1. This lever has a forked end 20 operating with a pin 21 mounted on a plunger 22 with a. button 23 operating in a collar mounted' on the upper face, of the casing 1. A coiled spring 24 about the pivoted shaft on which tbe lever 18 is mounted, tends to keep the lever in' position shown in Fig. 3. 'Ihe opposite end of the lever from the forked end 20 is'als'o forked as at 25 for operation with a pin 26 mounted on the engaging plunger 27 sliding in a sleeve 28 mounted on the lower side of the casing 1.- 'Ihe plunger is a little less than half the width of the annular space 9a in diameter and is so positioned that it projects vertically into this annular space against the end of the cigarette 9 above it and forces it upwardly for a short distance as here shown about one-half to threequarters of an inch. The height of the average cigarette is about equal to the height of the casing 3 so that this throw forces the cigarette to proopening 29 from which it may be removed by grasping it with the fingers and is thus-dispensed.` Immediately upon removal of this cigarette, the drum swings .under the action of the spring 16 and the next cigarette in series is advanced to ejectlng position whereupon the ejector which meanwhile `has been retracted by the spring 24 is ready to eject this cigarette. This action may be v4continued until all of the cigarettes are ejected. y

vThe cigarettes may remain in the casing for several days or evenl longer while waiting to be used. It isl desirableto keep the tobacco therein from drying out and for this purpose I have left the drum 8 `open at the top and with a suitable space around the axle casing and spring to receive a wick of cotton or other water-absorbent material 30 which is here shown coiled about the interior of the drum. g

Upon ejecting the cigarettes I have provided conveniently at hand and as part of this unit, the lighter 6 which is removable and may be lifted out of the cover and held in the hand in position for lighting the cigarette, after which it may bel replaced in the aperture in the cover 4. It will be noted that the dimensions and form of this lighter are such as to allow it to seat snugly in the casing without interfering with the action ject above the top 4 of the casing through anv .comingv within the language or scope of the apof any of the parts and at the same time to utilize a the available space thus maintaining the compactlness of the unit.

The operation of the device which should be largely obvious from the foregoing, is briefly summarized as follows. Cigarettes 9 are placed in the l annular space 9a between the casing and rotatable drum 8. Any number of cigarettes less than the totalcapacity of the container may be inserted. When filled to capacity in the embodiment here shown, the position of the parts is a's shown in Fig. 2. Of course it will be noted that the cigarettes between the last `two sets of fins are not shown in this figure.v The cigarettes being in position in order to eject a cigarette the button 23 is pressed downwardly against the action of the spring 24 thereby raising theforked end 25 of the leverk 18 to raise the plunger 27 against the lower end of cigarette 9 whereupon it is moved upwardly a short distance until it emerges through the hole' 29v whereupon it maybe grasped and withdrawn by the user. Upon release of the button 23 the plunger 28 descends under the action of spring 24 and the next cigarette in line is then moved into position over the ejector'.

The operation of the humidor and lighter has been above referred to.

The device is a simple effective unit. It is inexpensive to make. It is compact and there are few parts and these are not apt to get out of order.

While I have described my invention in detail and with respect to a certain embodiment thereof, I do not desire to be limited to such details or forms, since many changes and modifications may 110 be made and the invention may be embodied in other forms without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention in its broader aspects. Hence I desire to cover all modifications and forms pended claim.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

In combination, a vertically extending casing of generally cylindrical form provided with a dispensing opening, a supporting base therefor, a substantially cylindrical carrier member mounted for rotatable movement only within said Ycasing for carrying la plurality of cigarettes extending vertically at the periphery of said carrier member and between the same and said casing, an axle extending vertically from said base and deilning the axis of rotation of said carrier member, a spring coiled around said axle for biasing said carrier member in one direction, coacting stops for limiting rotation of said carrier member under the influence of said spring, and means for dispensing cigarettes vone at a time through said opening, said spring, for each dispensing operation, moving said carrier member a distance ap- 135 proximately equal to the diameter oi a cigarette, said dispensing means comprising a guide tube extending vertically below said dispensing opening, a rod reciprocatory in said guide tube, a lever pivoted to said rod. and a reciprocatory member for operating said lever.

LOUIS V. ARONSON.' 

